A Light in the Darkness by Elizabeth

A Light in the Darkness by Elizabeth - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

The most important lesson a teacher ever taught me surprisingly had nothing to do with the furthering of my education. To be honest, the lesson I have in mind has more moral sentimentalities than it does educational values and I wouldn't have it any other way.
I was a short, awkward little sixth grader with very few friends when my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. It wasn't terminal, but she was definitely going to have to fight. I had never really been subject to a hardship to this extent, so it definitely shook me to my core. But, I was blessed to have the best sixth grade teacher I could've asked for. She was always checking up on me, making sure I was handling things as best I could. But, there was one particular day when things were really falling apart. The chemotherapy that my mother was bravely undergoing was affecting her both physically and mentally, and being so close to my mom, I was beside myself. I came to school visibly upset and decided that I was done trying. I wasn't going to do my work; I had truly given up on school. My teacher caught on quickly, and decided to have a little talk with me. She taught me that though I was going through something difficult, I needed to stay strong and support my mom through it all. She taught me that I had to be the light in the darkness; show my mom that though things were rough, there were still things to be happy about. That really brought the situation to a new light for me. I realized that if I was the cheery little girl that my mom knew and loved, it would make it easier for her to fight. So I did just that. I made it my personal goal to bring happiness into my family, even though we had every reason to be melancholy.
Thanks to that lesson, I now look through the perspective that no matter what someone is going through, I have the potential to be the smiling, happy person that convinces them that not everything in the world is rooting against them. I have the potential to be the person who inspires someone to keep going. The most important lesson that a teacher taught me shaped me to be the person that I am today; and for that, I am eternally grateful.